Apparatus for rolling metallic powder on a strip



March 17, 1959 F. HECK 2,877,738"

APPARATUS FOR ROLLING METALLIC POWDER ON A STRIP Filed Feb. 24, 1955 J .fm/emon' 1 H e c]:

j Maw/Mk United States PatentO APPARATUS FOR ROLLING METALLIC POWDER ON A STRIP Friedrich Heck, Hemer-Sundwig, Germany Application February 24, 1955, Serial No. 490,302

Claims priority, application Germany March 1, 1954 8 Claims (Cl. 118-249) The applying of pulverulent metallic or non-metallic substances to metallic supporting bodies as a preparation for plating is known. In the known devices serving this purpose, the applying means and the supporting body to be sprinkled are moved relatively to one another. Means are also known for rolling bands, strips and the like from metallic powder, wherein the rolling mill com prises two rolls arranged obliquely one above the other.

The present invention relates to apparatus for pro ducing platings and strips from powder, and more particularly to the construction of a rolling mill with press rolls arranged obliquely one above the other. According to the invention there is arranged, immediately above the peripheral surface of the lower roll, a very small feeding trough or bunker, and the outlet from this bunker is arranged before the vertex of the lower roll, as seen in the direction of rotation of this roll.

When the rolling mill is used for the production of a plating on one side of a strip, the feeding bunker is arranged with its outlet underneath the supporting strip, which passes through the rolls in a straight line. If on the other hand a double-sided plating is to be provided,

a similar device may also be provided above the supporting strip.

According to a further feature of the invention, the roll bodies are provided, at the sides and in the region between the feeding bunker and the roll gap, with stationary lateral boundaries. This results in the formation of a closed caliber-like passage, which is formed from the peripheral surfaces of the rolls and these lateral boundaries.

The outlet slot of the feeding bunker facing the roll gap may be adjustably arranged.

Another very important feature of the invention consists in the fact that the supplying of the metallic powder to the small feeding bunker is effected from a relatively large storage bunker, a horizontal or slightly inclined shaking chute being provided between the two bunkers for the continuous conveyance of the metallic powder. The storage bunker may be so mounted that it likewise can be shaken.

In the plating of strips, a band serving as a supporting strip may be roughened, and then metallic powder is uniformly applied to the roughened side of the band, and pressed on by roll pressure. It is furthermore possible to roughen the band on both sides, and thereupon to apply the metallic powder to the upper and lower surfaces of the band simultaneously and consolidate it by rolling. It is also possible to plate rough basic strips not previously sprinkled in the shaping mill first on one side, and thereupon'to effect the plating on the other side by turning the strip over and rolling it again.

One constructional example of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side view of the rolling mill with its feeding means;

Figure 2 is a view of part of the upper roll as seen from the roll gap; and

Figure 3 is an oblique view of the rolling mill looking in the direction of the line of travel of the supporting strip.

The rolling mill consists of an upper roll 1 and a lower roll 2, which are arranged obliquely one above the other, with the rolls being journalled in a frame F. Theim clined position corresponds, in the constructional example illustrated, to an angle of about 30 degrees from the ver tical. By 3 is denoted the supporting strip, which moves through the roll gap correspondingly to the direction of rotation of the rolls. For rolling from powder the roll bodies may be provided with stationary lateral boundaries 4, one on each side which form, in conjunction with the rolls, a closed passageway. Immediately above the peripheral surface of the lower roll 2 is provided a very small feeding trough or bunker 5, which is arranged laterally of the vertex of the lower roll 2. The charging of this small bunker 5 is eifected from a larger storage bunker 6. The bunker 5 is provided, on the side facing the roll gap, with an outlet slot 7, the height of, which is adjustable. The adjustment may be effected by means of a wall or wall portion 8 which closes the upper part of the delivery end of the feeding trough but is movable in a radial direction towards and away from the pe ripheral surface of the lower press roll. This adjustment is accomplished by means of a rack and pinion unit 8A operatively associated with the wall portion. At the upper end of the bunker 5 an inlet aperture is provided, with a gauge plate 9. Into this inlet aperture there opens a shaking chute 10, which is charged with metallic pow der from the storage bunker 6. The shaking chute 10 rests upon resilient means 11, which enable a vibratory motion to be imparted to the chute. The carrying along of the metallic powder from the bunker 5 is obviously effected by the rotation of the roll 2 in the direction indicated by an arrow in Figure 1 This transporting may be promoted by roughening the roll surface, or else by moistening it by means of petroleum, glycol or the like. The feeding bunker 5 and the roll gap may be so ar ranged that they are both about equally distant from the vertical of the roll 2 on both sides, but within the angle with the vertical in which, even with the occurrence of vibrations, no receding or over-running of the powder applied can occur. By supplying an appropriately pretreated supporting strip 3, at a definite pressure of the rolls, a firm application of the metallic powder is obtained. If plating on both sides of the strip is desired, an applying means similar to that illustrated may also be provided above the supporting strip 3, by which a sprin kling of the metallic powder upon the upper surface of the supporting strip is eifected.

A special advantage of the apparatus described, in rolling powder alone, arises from the fact that a closed roll pass is provided for the passage, so that the pressed band leaves the roll pass in its longitudinal direction, that is, in a tangential direction. Therefore no abrading forces occur transversely to the surface of the band, such as arise for instance in the case of roll pass boundaries accompanying the strip. With these latter crumbling of the edges of the band usually occurs.

The stationary boundaries 4, which are arranged laterally of the roll bodies, may advantageously become gradually wider beyond the roll gap in the rolling direction of rotation (see Figure 2).

I claim:

1. A rolling mill for rolling metallic powder on to a supporting strip, comprising: a pair of upper and lower press rolls arranged obliquely one above the other, a feeding trough positioned above the axis of rotation of the lower roll adapted to deliver metallic powder on to the peripheral surface of the lower roll at a position preceding the highest point of that surface, the direction 6 Patented Mar. 17, 1959.

of rotation of the rolls being such that the lower roll will then carry the metallic powder over the highest part of the lower roll to the nip between the rolls, the bottom of the forward part of the feeding trough being formed by part of the peripheral surface of the lower press roll, and a wall portion adjustable towards and away from the peripheral surface of the lower press roll, the said wall portion closing the upper part of the delivery end of the feeding trough but leaving a slot of variable width between the said peripheral surface and the said wall portion, the rolls being adapted to nip between them the supporting strip on to which the metallic powder is to be rolled.

2. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a storage bunker, larger than the feeding trough and means for transporting metallic powder from the storage bunker to the feeding trough.

3. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 2, the transporting means being a shaking chute.

4. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 3, the shaking chute being inclined slightly upwards in the transporting direction.

5. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 1, the surfaces of the press rolls being very slightly roughened.

6. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 1, further comprising stationary lateral boundaries, one on each side of the press rolls, forming, in conjunction with the peripheral surfaces of the rolls, a closed passageway for the strip.

7. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 6, the stationary lateral boundaries diverging slightly at their ends.

8. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 1, including a storage bunker, larger than the feeding trough, a shaking chute for transporting the metallic powder from the storage bunker to the feeding trough, and a gauge plate controlling the transfer of metallic powder from the shaking chute to the feeding trough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 886,349 Connell May 5, 1908 936,389 Wadsworth Oct. 12, 1909 1,405,198 Frothingham et al. Jan. 31, 1922 1,558,271 Newell Oct. 20, 1925 2,354,113 Gould July 18, 1944 2,748,018 Miller May 29, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 474,245 Great Britain Oct. 27, 1937 

